The New York Jets play host to the New England Patriots in ESPN.com's Game of the Week on Sunday (CBS, 1 p.m. ET) .

ESPN analysts Ron Jaworski and Sean Salisbury break down the game plans of each team.

JAWORSKI VS. SALISBURY

Jaworski on the Patriots I'm as surprised as anyone about the surging New England Patriots. I did not see this coming. I thought they had problems with their offensive line and their defense, and I didn't expect them to be 6-5. I figured it would take personnel director Scott Pioli and head coach Bill Belichick three years to get them competitive. But they have turned it around in two years and are vying for a playoff spot. They have done it in the most surprising way -- with a young, inexperienced quarterback in Tom Brady, who has given them the spark they needed. Antowain Smith has provided balance in the running game. The offensive line is much improved. Although Troy Brown has been productive over the past few seasons, he is finally getting the props he deserves. Under Belichick, a great designer and schemer, the defense has always been solid. Not to slight the Patriots, but he can sometimes get by without a wealth of talent. Now, playing the Jets, the Patriots can make major inroads in the AFC East. Five keys for the Patriots: 1. Throw on first down. With a young quarterback such as Brady, the best time to throw is on first down because he will see a base defense and a known coverage. On second and third downs, the defensive-situation groups enter the game, making it more difficult for a young quarterback to succeed. The Patriots should throw high-percentage passes on first down. 2. Move Brown around. Brown has become the focus of defensive coverages, so the Patriots need to move him around. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis does a good job of designing the offense and will use Brown in the slot, out wide or even out of the backfield. The key is to move him around so the Jets can't focus on where he will be. 3. Formation variation. Against the Jets' vanilla, execution-oriented defense, the Patriots need to give a lot of different looks. With the looks, they need to find the matchups that favor their personnel. They should try a variety until they get the one they like and exploit it. 4. Cut blocks. It is imperative for the Patriots to get Jets defensive ends John Abraham and Shaun Ellis on the ground. They are excellent pursuit players who will chase down plays from behind. Cut blocks will get them on the ground and out of the play. 5. Focus on Martin. Martin accounts for 40 percent of the Jets' offense. He is the foundation, and the Patriots must stop him. They have to load the box with eight defenders and make quarterback Vinny Testaverde and receivers Laveranues Coles and Wayne Chrebet beat them. The approach against Martin and the Jets' athletic offensive line is to take away the run first.

Salisbury on the Jets I'm not sure the New York Jets have played their best game of the season. They have won a lot of their games ugly. But to the Jets, the wins don't need to be pretty; they just need to be wins. Riding a four-game winning streak, the Jets feel good about themselves. Without many superstars, the Jets are a confident team that reflects their coach, Herman Edwards. They play sound football, making few mistakes and capitalizing on the mistakes they force. The Jets have an amazing plus-22 turnover margin, far and away the best mark in the league. They may not blow teams out, but they will hang around. Sunday's game against New England, one of the NFL's other surprise teams, will go a long way toward making believers out of the rest of the league about the Jets' chances in the AFC East. Five keys for the Jets: 1. Win the turnover battle. Don't expect Vinny Testaverde to throw for 400 yards or the offense to score 40 points. What the Jets need to do is what they have done all season -- force mistakes and score off them. The Jets will grind, tackle and pressure the entire game on defense and play ball-control offense with a few big plays mixed in. They must continue the same approach against the Patriots. 2. Blitz Brady. Even though Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has proven he can win, he is still young. The Jets must force him to make plays in the passing game. They have to blitz him at every opportunity, not allowing him to sit back and be comfortable a week after throwing for four touchdowns. Avoid playing too much zone defense and come after him. 3. Stop the run. What's that -- New England with a running game? Antowain Smith has given the Patriots a much-needed boost on the ground. He ran for 111 yards last week. When they get a good running game, Brady is more effective. The Patriots will try to have the threat of a running game. It's imperative for the Jets' improved run defense to stuff the run early and make New England pass the entire game. 4. Count on Coles. Receiver Laveranues Coles has the knack for making big plays. Early in his career, he has a chance to become Testaverde's go-to guy. He gives the Jets both speed and big-play ability. The Jets need to get him the ball in order to score points. 5. More of Martin. Since Curtis Martin joined the team in 1998, the Jets are 15-0 when he touches the ball 30 times in a game. So the Jets' game plan must heavily involve Martin. The Jets must get him the ball and allow him to run behind his solid offensive line. If he touches the ball 30 times, they will win.